Conventional twisted yarn constructions are customarily produced from organic fibers. As a result, these conventional yarns have very limited use at high temperatures and under conditions where force resistance is required. Specifically, such yarns rapidly deteriorate when used on articles that are subjected to high temperatures and they have limited strength.
Increasingly, high performance yarns are being used in place of conventional yarns. High performance yarns have both increased strength and an increased elastic modulus compared to conventional yarns. Typically, the high performance yarns are formed from inorganic fibers. The use of these fibers has resulted in a new family of yarns and fabrics that have high tensile strengths and modulus and the ability to maintain these properties at elevated temperatures. Nevertheless, the strength and heat resistance of known inorganic fibers can be improved upon.
In order to manufacture inorganic fibers, mineral powders of the desired constituents are typically used. These mineral powders, however, can require significant processing that can be expensive. Further, use of specific mineral powders often requires additional transportation and storage costs.
To improve upon the strength and heat resistance of known inorganic fibers and to avoid the requirements involved in using mineral powders to create such fibers, the present invention utilizes unrefined raw materials, such as volcanic rock, to manufacture inorganic fiber. While fibers manufactured from volcanic rock have been found to exhibit excellent strength and heat resistance, the use of volcanic rock requires special processing considerations.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for manufacturing an inorganic yarn. Another object of the present invention is to provide systems and methods for manufacturing an inorganic yarn from volcanic rock. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods in which potassium permanganate is utilized to melt volcanic rock to form an inorganic yarn. Still another object of the present invention is to provide systems for forming inorganic yarns, and methods of using the systems, that are relatively easy to create, simple to operate and comparatively cost effective.